


Countdown

by hktk



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Trapped In Elevator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 21:41:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8118526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hktk/pseuds/hktk
Summary: Jumin really should've taken the stairs.





	

**Author's Note:**

> another request!!!!! sorry if its so bad i couldnt think of anything

10:59

 

“Jumin!”

The two men embraced one another, with V patting Jumin lightly on the back. Once they pulled away, they smiled at the other, like they had been parted for years and years when, in fact, they had just seen each other the previous day at a meeting.

V withdrew his hands, switching his cane from one hand to the other, and Jumin fussed with his sleeve. Though it would seem awkward to outsiders, both parties involved were as comfortable as they could be. They were getting ready to go out to lunch together, something they did as often as they could, and lately, they had been reduced to just once a week because of both of their busy schedules.

“Shall we go?” Jumin said, grabbing his coat from the coat rack in the corner of his office. “I know a good place.”

“You always know good places,” teased V. “Why don’t we go somewhere I want today?”

Jumin made a face. “... If you insist. Will I be overdressed?”

“Most likely, but that’s okay.”

 

11:03

 

Jumin didn’t like elevators.

Well, that’s not true. He didn’t _mind_ elevators. He preferred stairs, counting them as he went, but could recognize that in some situations—for instance, all the way up to his penthouse—they just weren’t feasible. Traveling with V was another instance, for his eyesight had gotten a lot worse over the past year, and Jumin was always worried he would trip and fall.

It was not an unfounded fear, since it did happen at least once. V caught himself just in time, but what if he hadn’t?

Anyway, the point was, Jumin and elevators didn’t mix together well.

The pair stepped into the elevator, Jumin pressing the button for the ground floor. As the elevator began to move, they started to chat.

“So, what’s this place like?”

“Well, it’s a nice and quaint cafe, right? There’s even plants lined up against the window sill, from what I can remember...” V explained, happy to do so. He motioned with his hands as he talked. “They have the best donuts.”

“Donuts?” Jumin contemplated the word, rolling it over and over in his head. And, outloud. “Donuts... Donuts... Ah, aren’t those a type of cake?”

V chuckled. “Close. They’re sort of like—”

The elevator came to a screeching halt, effectively cutting V off and jolting both of them inside. The lights went out, and Jumin fell to the ground, backwards, crashing into the wall behind him. Supposedly, V did the same, as he made a pained noise that reverberated in the enclosed space.

“Are you alright?!”

“Ah... I think so...” V answered.

Jumin reached out, but his hand grasped at nothing but air. He cursed beneath his breath, and staying low to the ground, crawled like a damn imbecile to find his friend. Eventually, his hands touched cloth, and they patted V down until they found and rested on his shoulders.

“V?”

“I’m fine. I can’t see anything...”

“Neither can I.” With no windows or anything else in this cold shaft, the elevator was pitch black. “If the power was cut somehow, the backup generators should be coming on shortly.”

As if on cue, low, red lights lit up the interior, and Jumin blinked, adjusting to the fact he could now see. See just how close he and V were, faces almost touching, breath mingling with one another. He pulled away abruptly.

“I still can’t see anything,” V teased. Jumin snorted. “Sorry. What do you suppose is going on?”

“It wasn’t raining when you came in, was it?”

“Um... No, I don’t believe it was. I wasn’t wet when I came in, was I?”

Jumin thought that was an endearing question. He shifted on the floor of the elevator, so that his legs were relaxed. V remained in the same clumsy position that he had fallen in.

“I don’t believe you were.” Jumin tugged on the cuff of his jacket again, wishing he had taken a chance with the stairs. They could be stuck here forever if they weren’t careful. “So it is either a robbery or an accident.”

A sigh escaped V’s lips. “Well, I hope we aren’t stuck here for very long.”

 

11:26

 

“Jumin.”

“Yes?”

The pair had gone from sitting further apart to sitting rather close—so close that their shoulders touched lightly. It was still dark in the elevator, with just the red backup lights, so Jumin supposed V wanted to make sure he was still here.

“Do you think we’ll be here forever? Stuck until we’re dead and then some?”

He asked it so seriously that Jumin was a little taken aback. Blinking slowly, he looked at his watch. “We’ve been here for... exactly twenty-three minutes. Just that.”

“Oh... Then,” V laughed, leaning closer, “I don’t think it’s so bad.”

Jumin’s face flushed as V searched for his hand, gently touching it with his thin fingers when he found it.

“Can I?” When Jumin didn’t answer, V continued: “I just want to make sure you’re here. I’m sorry.” He started to withdraw his hand.  

Jumin cleared his throat before answering. “... Of course.” Jumin grabbed his hand before he could pull it all the way back, holding it with his palm against his. They sat like that in silence.

 

11:37

 

The silences were comfortable.

They had always been comfortable between the two, ever since they were little. As far as Jumin could recall, there wasn’t a time when they _weren’t_ comfortable just sitting there doing nothing.

He still held his hand. He still leaned on his shoulder. His face was still hot. He didn’t know why.

“You know, Jumin...”

“Hm?”

A beat, then he felt V shake his head next to him, squeezing the hand in Jumin’s own. “No. Never mind. I don’t know how to word it.”

And it was dropped, just like that. Jumin simply nodded, not wanting to press the issue further, even if he really was pretty curious.

 

11:41

 

“I figured it out.”

Jumin opened his eyes, glancing out of the side of them at his friend. “Figured what out?”

“How to word it,” V stated plainly. He shifted, still not letting go of Jumin’s hand—on the contrary, as he moved to tuck his legs beneath himself, he laced their fingers together.

Jumin sat there, stupidly, dumbly, unable to form any cohesive thoughts about the situation. Quite unlike him. “... Go on,” he finally said. “I’m listening.”

“Sorry... Haha, I thought you weren’t for a second.”

“I’ll always listen to you, V.”

“You always say that!” V laughed lightly, like an angel from Heaven itself. “Anyway. Do you remember when we were kids and in church? That one day they were preparing a wedding?”

The memory came to Jumin easily. “... Yes. You...” He couldn’t say it aloud for a very long time. “You held my hand similar to now until my father told us to stop.”

“To be honest, I didn’t want to stop.” V leaned his head on Jumin’s shoulder, and Jumin stiffened up at the touch. But he didn’t dare move, no, no, he stayed still, almost pathetically so, so that V wouldn’t get scared and run off, saying sorry.

“But, that’s not what I remembered,” V continued. “That was my first wedding. I really liked it.”

Jumin remembered the stark white decorations that people from all over the church—including his step-mother—were helping to hang up. He sat with V and his father on either side, watching with wide, wondrous eyes at all the commotion.

“I really liked it too, I think. Even though we weren’t in it.”

Then, V shuffled again, seemingly antsy. “Yeah. But I wanted to be in it. I wanted to really bad, but my parents did know the groom or bride.”

“You’re invited to my wedding.”

V sputtered. “You’re getting married?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

Jumin laughed, smile tugging at his lips. “It was a joke... I’m not getting married.” He felt himself relaxing, and he reached a hand up to gently pat one of V’s cheeks, tilting his own head down until it rested on V’s.

“Your terrible sense of humor strikes again.”

“Yours is just as bad, Jihyun.”

“True... But... Oh, I can’t remember what I was going to say anymore. Just forget it.”

Jumin had a feeling that wasn’t the case, but he wasn’t going to ask about it.

 

12:03

 

“God.”

Jumin opened his eyes again, having almost fallen asleep. He was tired from all the work, and this situation only furthered his exhaustion. V must’ve thought he was asleep, for he started praying quietly, so quiet that Jumin could barely hear him even being so close. Jumin stayed silent, not moving.

“I’m sorry for the sins I’ve committed. Thank you for keeping me safe so far... Please continue to keep the others safe, more than my own well being, especially Jumin.

“Please let him get married and have a happy life. Discard my feelings. Pretend like I don’t exist. I don’t deserve anything you’ve given me except the pain. Please... Give me more pain if it would make Jumin happy.”

“Stop that,” Jumin said, lifting his head. He raised his hand again, patting V on the face, sleepily slapping him. “Stop that...”

V stiffened. “Oh... Did you hear that?”

“Unfortunately. Sorry.”

V was quiet for a minute. “... It’s okay. It’s the truth.”

Jumin turned to face him fully, their hands resting on the floor in between them. “Don’t think those things, Jihyun.”

“Wh-What?”

“The things...about the pain. I don’t like it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Quit apologizing so much,” Jumin ordered. He saw, in the dim light, V shrink back, and so he sighed. “I’m sorry. It just...” What? It just what? A feeling he couldn’t recognize so easily floated up, mixing with the disappointment in himself that he couldn’t help his friend believe he was loved and cherished.

“I can’t help it, you know. These thoughts,” V started after a short few minutes of silence. “I’ve never told anyone this but... Sometimes I dream about going to Hell and I like it. I want to go to Hell, Jumin.”

“Why.”

“I don’t know. I just... don’t deserve Heaven.”

“You’re no fallen angel, Jihyun.” Jumin ran a hand through V’s hair before cupping his face. “Your feathers are still pure white.” A low, dark laugh. “Whiter than mine.”

“No... Even if they are white, they’ve been stained.”

“With what?”

V didn’t answer.

“Jihyun. It’s okay to have these thoughts,” he reassured. “I... You’ve changed ever since Rika’s death. You’re still grieving.”

“But...”

“It’s okay, Jihyun.” How could he make him see? “I will stand by you every step of the process.”

V kissed him.

Jumin made a garbled noise, but V kissed him. He pulled away.

“I’m sorry... I don’t know what came over me.”

Jumin kissed V.

It was V’s turn to make a noise, like he wasn’t expecting that, like he wasn’t expecting Jumin to actually reciprocate. Jumin pulled away, and they said nothing. They only kissed again, and again, very chaste kisses, lasting only a few seconds, until Jumin’s free hand came up to rest against the back of V’s neck, tilted his head, deepened the kiss.

V allowed it.

They kissed, and kissed, and kissed, until neither could breathe anymore, and Jumin pulled away ever so slightly, letting their breaths mingle.

The lights flickered back on. V had a soft smile on his face, eyes closed, like he was in Heaven. Jumin couldn’t help but smile back, and then the elevator started moving again.

Jumin pulled back even more, and regrettably, unlaced their fingers. He stood up, taking V by the hand to help him up, handing him his cane.

“Unfortunately,” Jumin said, all business now, but still with that smile, a stupid smile, “I’ll have to go to work now. We missed out on lunch... But I don’t mind.”

“Will the elevators stop again tomorrow, I wonder?”

The doors slid open.

“I sure hope so.”


End file.
